


The Great And The Good

by ognawk



Category: Daria (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Jane's Addition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-26 09:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ognawk/pseuds/ognawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU story. Tom Sloane is tired of dating girls who are more interested in his name than in him as a person. Taking a visit to a downtown grunge club with his best friend Ashley, they meet a pair of interesting girls who they start dating. However, one of Tom's old dates has grown attached to him and will do what it takes to get him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One Date Sloane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom returns from another unsatisfying date and decides that it might be time for a change of pace.

_Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged._

_The characters Ashley Winters and Cassidy Hemming were created by Ognawk._

* * *

**THE GREAT AND THE GOOD**  
 **By Ognawk**

_**Part 1 - One Date Sloane** _

Tom Sloane pulled his rusty old Pinto into the garage of his family's home. He sighed as he sat in the car for a moment. _I'm so tired of this_ , he thought as he finally got out of the car and made his way into the house.

Walking into the hallway, Tom threw his jacket up on the coat stand and started making his way upstairs. About halfway up, he stopped as he noticed his younger sister Elsie stood at the top, arms folded and eyebrow raised.

"Another successful date, dear brother?" she asked with a smirk.

"Elsie, I'm really not in the mood for your crap right now." he replied, doing a poor job of hiding his frustration.

"Oh, don't tell me you're tired of the girls of Fielding throwing themselves at your feet. Any boy your age would _kill_ to be in that position. Most men, for that matter."

"Most boys might. And you know what? Maybe I am a bit bored of the whole thing. But at least my jadedness is genuine."

Elsie snorted at that comment and made her way to her room. Tom shook his head and carried on up the stairs, knocking at his parents door to let them know he was back before going to his own bedroom and closing the door, not noticing Elsie peeking out from her door, a look of concern on her face.

Once inside, Tom flopped onto his bed, looking at the ceiling for a few minutes. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about it, just plain white with an overly fancy light hanging from the ceiling. Looking at the clock on the chest of drawers, he sat up and grabbed the cordless phone nearby. _I'm sure Ashley will be wanting a full report_ , he thought as he punched in a phone number.

After a few rings, someone picked up. "Hello, Ashley Winters."

"Ashley? Tom."

"Ah, Mr Sloane, I've been expecting your call." Ashley said with anticipation. Ashley Winters was one of Tom's friends, the only one who didn't ditch Tom on a regular basis to do something different. But he did enjoy teasing Tom about his dates with the various daughters of the great and the good of Maryland. "So tell me, how did the date with the lovely Ms Hemming go?"

"Pretty much the same as most dates do," Tom replied tiredly "Just another Fielding girl trying too hard to act like we have everything in common."

"Well, you're quite a catch, young Thomas. The girls just throw themselves at your gorgeous countenance."

Tom frowned at the obvious sarcasm in Ashley's voice, but decided he wasn't going to let it get to him tonight. He needed someone to air his thoughts to, and he trusted Ashley more than anyone else.

"I wish they were interested in me for me. It's just hard to tell who's genuine and who just has parents desperate for their precious little girl to marry into the Sloane family business."

Ashley paused for a second. He wanted to wind Tom up, but he could tell by the tone in his friend's voice that he was clearly troubled by this. Then he thought of something that would get a laugh out of him.

"Well, I suppose it's a downside of being the only son of a partner in one of the richest companies in the state. But if you really want to see who's genuine and who's just a gold digger, it's easy. Just put a couple of hundred pounds on and see who sticks around."

Tom couldn't help but chuckle at that comment, but it only cheered him for a moment, as he thought about his future.

"True. But there's something scary about this," Tom said, as a thought crossed his mind "I could abuse the fact that girls want to be with me, even if just for my family's money. It would be so easy."

"I've known you for a while now, Tom. I know that's not your style."

"Yeah. I don't know. It's just so frustrating not being able to tell who's for real, you know?"

"For you and everyone else with a few dollars in the bank."

Tom half smiled. "Much more of this, and I'll be getting a reputation for being a one date wonder."

"One Date Sloane." Ashley said, just managing to stifle a laugh. "Kind of has a ring to it, you know."

"Kind of does," Tom admitted, "But I doubt even that would stop the really desperate ones."

"You're a smart man, Sloane. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"I hope so. Well, I'm beat, so I'm going to hit the hay. See you in school tomorrow, Winters."

"I look forward to it, Mr Sloane. Goodnight."

Tom put the phone down and sighed. He got up and got himself ready for bed. Once ready, he picked up the copy of the Lawndale Herald on his bedside table and had a leaf through it. His eye was drawn to an advertisement in the Arts section.

_Maybe a change of scenery will do me some good_. _For a little while at least_ , he thought as he put the paper in the bin and got into bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

_Thanks to peetz5050 for beta reading._


	2. The Nouveau Riche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A previous date of Tom's is very interested in a second date. Meanwhile, Tom and Ashley plan a little trip.

  
The following Monday morning, Tom and Elsie were being driven to school by their mother Kay. Tom wasn’t fond of still being driven to school now that he could drive himself, but his parents were insistent that, if he was determined to have a rust bucket of a car, he was not showing up to Fielding in it.

After being dropped off near the front gates, the Sloane siblings made their way inside. After a pretty silent car journey, the younger Sloane was the first to speak.

“So, Thomas, any idea of whom your date for this week is going to be?” Elsie asked with a smirk.

Tom was about to make some sort of defensive remark, but decided to lighten the mood a little instead.

“Well, I shall have to assess all the potential candidates,” he said in a faux upper class accent, miming like he was looking through a note pad, “Then I shall see who is suitable for the position of my escort to the dance.”

Elsie sniggered, happy to see his brother not taking things too seriously, then replied in a similar voice “Well brother dearest, I hope you choose well and avoid those who would have questionable motives. And now I must take my leave.”

Tom watched as Elsie left to make her way to her first class of the day. He then heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Ah, Mr Sloane, I’ve been expecting you.”

Tom turned around to see his friend Ashley Winters. Ashley was a good half foot taller than Tom, with a slim, somewhat athletic frame from all the running he did. His long, dark blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail and he was wearing his usual square framed glasses over his blue eyes and the traditional Fielding uniform.

“Morning, Winters.” Tom responded.

“So, any ideas of what you’re going to do about the dating issue?” Ashley inquired.

“Well, since you mention it, I have had an idea for something a little different. But I don’t have time to go into it now. I’ll tell you at lunch.”

“Very well, sir. We shall do lunch and you can tell me about your nefarious scheme.” Ashley said with a slightly wicked grin on his face.

Tom shook his head at that comment. “I’ll see you later, Ashley.”

* * *

  
  
After a pretty uneventful morning, Tom sat at a table in the lunch room, soon joined by Ashley, who looked like he was trying his hardest not to grin. Tom knew that look all too well.  
  
“So, who did you offend this time?” Tom asked, almost dreading the answer.  
  
“I asked Elaine Swinton out on a date.” Ashley replied, smiling as he did so.  
  
“And she said no, of course.” Tom replied.  
  
“Well, she didn’t so much say no as snort and look at me like I was covered in sewage.”  
  
“She is one of the snobbiest seniors in Fielding.” Tom said, “As far as she’s concerned, the ‘nouveau riche’ like you pretty much _are_ covered in sewage.”  
  
Ashley chuckled. “What can I say? There are people who look down their nose at me and I can’t help but wind them up.”  
  
“And you wonder why you aren’t popular.” Tom said with a wry smile.  
  
“I’m offended. _Offended_ , I say!” Ashley replied with feigned indignance.  
  
“I guess my work here is done then.” Tom said, rummaging around in his pocket for something.  
  
“Seriously, though, I was unpopular in my old school before the folks won the Powerball,” Ashley explained, “Only difference in Fielding is that the students dislike me for my family’s newly acquired wealth rather than my intelligence.”  
  
Finally finding what he was looking for, Tom pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Now, on to business. I found this in the Herald last...”  
  
“Look out,” Ashley said quietly, looking past Tom to a girl approaching the table, “Hemming at high noon.”  
  
Tom turned to notice the girl he went on a date with the previous Saturday night, Cassidy Hemming, approaching. She was a petite girl with short cut red hair, a dark blue headband and thin, oval rimmed glasses. She put her book bag on the table and sat down next to Tom, paying no notice to how close she got to knocking Ashley’s lunch off the table in the process.  
  
“Hello Thomas,” she said with a sweet smile on her face “I had a good time last Saturday.”  
  
“Yes,” Tom replied cautiously, “It was an interesting evening.”  
  
“I just came over to see if you were busy on Friday night.” She asked, “I thought we could hang out, go bowling and maybe get something to eat?”  
  
“Um. yeah. Yeah, I’m not doing anything.” Tom replied, “That could be fun.”  
  
“Great!” Cassidy said, getting up with a grin, “I’ll see you then!”  
  
As she walked away, Tom had a slightly concerned look on his face and Ashley started sniggering.  
  
“And what’s so funny?” Tom asked his friend, eyebrow raised.  
  
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say One Date Sloane just agreed to a second date.” Ashley said, leaning back with a slightly smug expression.  
  
Tom thought for a minute before slapping the piece of paper he retrieved on the table. It was a cutting he took from the Lawndale Herald the previous night.  
  
“I thought you and I could go to this place on Saturday night,” Tom said, “I thought it could be something different.”  
  
Ashley looked at the paper, “Mister Sloane, are you asking me on a date? I didn’t know your bread was buttered that side.” He said, ducking to dodge a wadded up napkin Tom threw at him.  
  
“Good one, funny guy.” Tom said.  
  
“Honestly though, it should be interesting,” Ashley said, reading the scrap of paper, “It sounds like a couple of places I used to hang out in back in Swedesville.”  
  
“Guess it’s settled then,” Tom proclaimed, “We’ll take my car.”  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure your mother won’t complain about you taking the Rustmobile to somewhere like that.”  
  
“She’d frown upon me going somewhere like that anyway, car or no car.” Tom replied, “Not that I’m planning on telling her where I’m going. I’m just going.”  
  
“Fair enough,” Ashley said, steepling his fingers together, “It’s a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk.


	3. Weekend Whirled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Ashley head out for an evening at The Zon, and meet a couple of interesting girls during their visit.

It was Friday evening, and Tom was in his bedroom putting his sneakers on, getting ready for the plans he had made with Cassidy Hemming. He was dressed casually, in a dark blue jumper and black jeans. As he was tying his laces, he heard a knock at the door.  
  
“Come on in, Elsie.” He said, knowing that she was the only other person in the house right now.  
  
Elsie walked in and sat on the chair at Tom’s desk. She surveyed her brother dressed in what qualified as scruffy clothes for him.  
  
“So, Thomas, ready for another evening with Cassidy?” Elsie asked.  
  
“Yeah. We’re going bowling and then grabbing a bite to eat. Nothing fancy, just hanging out.” He replied.  
  
“A second date, huh? Interesting.”  
  
“Not a second date,” Tom said, correcting her, “Just hanging out.”  
  
“I see. Does she know that?” Elsie asked.  
  
“She suggested it.” Tom replied.  
  
“If you say so. But be careful. I hear she can get a little... attached sometimes.” Elsie warned.  
  
“Like I said, she suggested it.” He said, “She’s an interesting girl.”  
  
With that, Elsie stood up and went to leave the room.  
  
“Well, have fun.” She said, leaving the room as Tom watched with a slightly confused look on his face.  


* * *

  
  
After a fun bowling session, Tom and Cassidy were sat in a booth at the Good Time Chinese restaurant. Like Tom, Cassidy had dressed relatively casually for the evening, in a pale yellow and white striped dress and a matching yellow headband. She was eating her Char Sui pork while Tom was enjoying some chicken chow mein.  
  
“I love Chinese food,” Cassidy said, smiling, “I could get used to this.”  
  
“Yeah, it’s not bad. I’ve never had Chinese before.” Tom replied.  
  
They finished up their food and sat for a while, chatting.  
  
“It’s been a nice evening.” Cassidy said.  
  
“Sure, I’m having fun.” Tom said, smiling slightly.  
  
“Got any plans for tomorrow?” she asked.  
  
“Yes, actually,” Tom answered, “Me and Ashley are checking out a grunge club downtown.”  
  
“A grunge club?” she said, a quizzical expression on her face, “I didn’t think that would be your kind of scene, somehow.”  
  
“It could be,” Tom said, “I’m always interested in trying new things. Keeps life interesting.”  
  
“I’m sure your parents are thrilled with that.” She said, chuckling slightly.  
  
“They would be if they knew, but they’re out of town tomorrow night so I’m going anyway.” He said.  
  
“Well, I’m sure that rusty old Pinto will look right at home there.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Tom said with a wry smile, “It could be an improvement.”  
  
Cassidy laughed at that. She did like Tom’s sense of humour, and a few other things about him. She felt very relaxed in his company right now. On a whim, she leaned over the table to try and kiss him, but was surprised when he backed away.  
  
“Cassidy, don’t!” he said, sounding very surprised.  
  
“What’s wrong?” she asked, confused, “I thought we were having a good time.”  
  
“Yes, hanging out as friends.” Tom said, “That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?”  
  
“I guess,” Cassidy sighed, “But I really like you, Tom. I was hoping that we could be something more.”  
  
Tom tried to look Cassidy in the eye, but her head was hung. _Be careful what you say, Sloane,_ he thought to himself.  
  
“I do like you Cassidy,” he said, “But as a friend. A really good friend who I enjoy spending time with.”  
  
Cassidy rubbed her eyes slightly, making sure she didn’t seem upset.  
  
“I’m sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean to ruin everything.” She said, sadly.  
  
“Don’t feel bad,” he replied, trying to make her feel better, “I’m sorry if I led you on.”  
  
“No, no you didn’t. I just guess I saw something that wasn’t there.”  
  
They sat there in silence for a moment. Tom paid for the meal and then started to get up.  
  
“Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.” He said.  
  
“Yeah, OK.” She replied, standing up. They made their way out of the restaurant and into the car. Tom started the engine up and carefully drove out of the parking lot and into the road.  
  
“I meant what I said, you know, about having a good time.” Tom said, “I’d really like to spend time with you as a friend. If you want to, that is.”  
  
Cassidy seemed lost in thought for a moment, before replying. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”  


* * *

  
  
It was Saturday evening, and Ashley Winters was stood outside the front gates of his house. He was dressed in dark blue cargo pants and a dark green and black flannel shirt over a black t-shirt. His long, dark blonde hair was loose and hanging down and he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He noticed Tom coming down the road in the old Rustmobile and got in. The lack of glasses was the first thing Tom noticed.  
  
“I’m surprised you saw me coming, Winters.” Tom said with a smile.  
  
“What? Oh, the glasses.” Ashley responded.  
  
“You’re not wearing those fancy, futuristic Inviso-Glasses, are you?”  
  
“Well, I was thinking of that, but I thought I’d try contact lenses first.” Ashley said with a grin.  
  
“I’m sure you’ll be fighting the girls off with that look.”  
  
“I can but hope.” Ashley replied.  
  
About 20 minutes later, they parked outside a somewhat run down looking club.  
  
“The Zon,” Tom said, reading the sign above the door, “This is the place.”  
  
“I haven’t been to a grunge club in a while,” Ashley said, rubbing his hands together, “Let’s go!”  


* * *

  
  
The inside of the club looked even more run down that the outside suggested. There was a bar serving alcohol, even though most of the clientele appeared underage. Tom and Ashley got some soda and stood at the side of the club as a band got on stage. The lead singer of the band was a skinny guy with black hair and a goatee and was dressed in a worn green t-shirt and jeans with holes in. He stepped up to the microphone.  
  
“Hey, we’re Mystik Spiral, but we’re thinking of changing the name.” He said, before the bald drummer counted them in and they started playing.  
  
Later, Mystik Spiral were playing the last song of their first set. Ashley was watching the band with curiosity. Tom, meanwhile, was looking at a girl in the middle of the room. She was slim wearing a red jacket over a black v-neck t-shirt, charcoal grey shorts, black leggings and boots. She had short black hair, blue eyes and three silver hoops in the top of her ear. She’d noticed him looking at her and looked back approvingly. Stood next to her was a shorter girl with long, auburn hair and large glasses. She was wearing a green jacket over a mustard coloured t-shirt, a black skirt and black boots. As the band was finishing up, Ashley noticed Tom looking off and followed his gaze, noticing the two girls and grinning.  
  
“Hey, Sloane, see something you like?” Ashley said.  
  
“Possibly.” Tom replied stoically. The auburn haired girl walked off in the direction of the bathroom. Ashley realised he needed to go himself.  
  
“Hey Tom, I’m heading off to whatever qualifies as a bathroom in here.” Ashley told him, “Think you can cope without me for a few minutes?”  
  
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll manage.” Tom said, still looking at the black haired girl as Ashley walked off. After a couple of minutes, Tom decided to go and talk to her.  
  
“Hey!” he said.  
  
“Yo.” The girl replied.  
  
“Good band.”  
  
“Yeah, the singer’s my brother.” She stated.  
  
“Really?” he asked, “Are you a singer too?”  
  
“Oh yeah! Listen to this!” she said, “Old MacDonald had a farm, EE-I-EE-I-OH!”  
  
Tom winced internally at how off key it was, but it was obvious she wasn’t being serious.  
  
“That’s really awful.” He said.  
  
“You’re an honest one, eh?” she replied with a wry smile, “Actually I’m an artist.”  


* * *

  
  
Ashley shuddered as he made his way out of the grotty bathroom. _And I thought some of the bathrooms in the Swedesville clubs were bad,_ he thought to himself.  
  
As he started to walk back over in Tom's general direction, he noticed the auburn haired girl from earlier stood there, watching Tom talk to her friend. Ashley thought for a moment, then went and stood next to the girl and decided to try and talk to her.  
  
"Well, they certainly seem to be hitting it off." he observed.  
  
The direction of her gaze didn't change, as she said "I guess."  
  
 _She doesn't seem like the talkative type,_ he thought as he looked on. Then a smile formed as he decided on his next words.  
  
"So, you come here often?"  
  
The girl turned her head and he noticed a frown on her face behind her large, round glasses. However, upon seeing the stupid grin on his face, she half smiled.  
  
"Is that the best you can do?"  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." he said, chuckling. He liked the small, understated smile she had. It was a terrible line, but at least it broke the ice. Thinking of something to say, he looked at the stage.  
  
“So, do you like Mystik Spiral’s music?” he asked.  
  
“It’s got a beat, and you can dance to it.” The girl replied.  
  
“If you have no shame.” He said, with a wry smile.  
  
“Good one.” She said, another small smile on her face.  
  
"I'm Ashley, by the way." he said, tentatively offering his hand.  
  
She looked at his hand curiously, before shaking it and saying "I'm Daria."  
  
"Well, Daria, what do you say we go and embarrass our friends over there?" he suggested.  
  
"I thought you'd never ask." she replied.

* * *

  
  
They made their way over to where Tom and Daria's friend were chatting.  
  
“Hey!” Ashley said to Tom, “Didn’t your Mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?”  
  
“And she’s pretty strange.” Daria said with a smile.  
  
“Oh hey Daria. This is, uh...” the girl said, realising she didn’t know his name.  
  
“Tom.” He said.  
  
“Hi. This is Ashley.” Daria said introducing him.  
  
“Jane Lane,” the raven haired girl said, “Artiste extraordinaire.”  
  
“Well, you certainly don’t have an ego problem.” Ashley said with a grin.  
  
Jane raised an eyebrow and smiled.  
  
“I see the force is strong in this one.”  
  
“So’s the gas.” Tom said, “Especially when he’s had Mexican food.”  
  
“Can I help it if I like burritos?” Ashley said.  
  
"Speaking of burritos, we were just about to head out for a ride to get something to eat.” Jane said, “You guys coming along?”  
  
“Sure.” Daria said, “But shouldn’t we ask Trent about that multimedia project for school?”  
  
“Oh yeah.” Jane replied. “Hey, we’ll be back in a minute, guys.”  
  
Ashley and Tom watched as the two girls walked over to the singer in the band from before. Ashley nudged Tom and grinned.  
  
“Looks like you’re in there.” He said.  
  
“She seems interesting.” Tom replied, “By the way, you don’t seem to have done too badly.”  
  
“She’s not hugely talkative,” Ashley said, “But I’d like to get to know her a little better.”  
  
Daria and Jane walked back over, and they heard them talking as they walked over.  
  
“Yeah, but I think we should have a backup plan, just in case.” Daria said.  
  
“Good idea, team mate!” Jane replied.  
  
“That’s the nastiest name anyone’s ever called me.”  
  
“Well, are we ready to go get some food?” Tom asked.  
  
“Sure!” Jane replied.  
  
“OK folks, let’s head ‘em up and move ‘em out!” Ashley said, pointing to the door. Tom groaned at that, Daria tilted her head slightly with a curious expression, and Jane just burst out laughing.  
  
“I’ve always wanted to say something like that!” Ashley grinned, as they headed out to Tom’s car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk.
> 
> Contains dialogue from 'Jane's Addition' written by Glenn Eichler


	4. Attitude Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom begins dating Jane, but Daria isn't too happy with this development. Ashley laments the fact that he never exchanged contact details with Daria after the night at The Zon.

The following morning, Tom made his way downstairs to the breakfast table to find his mother Kay, father Angier and sister Elsie already there. As he sat down with the bowl of oatmeal he’d decided to have, his father looked at him from over his newspaper.

“So, have a good night last night, son?” Angier asked.

“Yeah, pretty good. Met a couple of interesting people.” Tom replied, as he started to spoon his breakfast into his mouth. There was silence for a short time before his mother spoke up.

“So, where did you go exactly?” Kay asked.

Tom thought about it for a moment before answering. “Just some music club downtown.”

“You went to a club in the Pinto?” Angier asked him, eyebrow raised, “You could have at least taken one of our cars, made a better impression.”

“If you’d seen that club, you’d think the Pinto made the place look better,” Tom replied, sensing the direction this conversation was taking, “But I like that car and I still intend to keep it.”

“As you wish.” His father said, returning his attention to his newspaper.

Tom finished his breakfast and took his bowl into the kitchen, not noticing that Elsie had stopped reading the book she had and followed him in.

“Just a couple of interesting people, eh Tom?” she teased.

“I may have met a girl who was very interesting.” He replied with a slight smile.

“Slumming it with some town girl, huh?” Elsie replied in an overly haughty voice.

“She’s an artist.” Tom said, “Me and Ashley went for food with her and a friend of hers after the gig. It was good.”

“So, are you planning on seeing her again?”

“I was planning on swinging by this afternoon just to see how she’s doing.” Tom answered, “She said she’s not a morning person.”

“Sounds like every creative type I’ve ever known.” Elsie said.

“Pretty much.” Tom said, with a slight smile.

 

That afternoon, Tom was driving to Jane’s house, remembering the route from when he dropped her off at home the previous night. As he pulled up outside Casa Lane, he saw Jane in the doorway, her hair looking dishevelled like she just woke up, which she probably had. She was talking to Daria who was stood outside. Tom got out of the car and walked up the path. Jane was talking as he was approaching the door.

“I don’t know Daria, I’m really beat.” Jane said, rubbing the back of her neck, then turning her head slightly as she noticed Tom. “Hey! How you doing?”

“What do you mean? I’m fine.” Daria said confusedly, not noticing that Tom was behind her.

“Hi!” Tom said, as Daria turned her head to see him. “Hi Daria!”

“Hi.” Daria replied, a slight hint of concern on her face.

“I just came by to make sure you didn’t get sick from those two jumbo burgers.” Tom asked.

“Are you kidding? I could eat five of those babies and never feel a thing.” Jane replied, belching suddenly. “Oh, excuse me. Why don’t you come in?”

Tom nodded towards Daria. “No, it’s OK, you’ve got a guest already.”

“Oh come on.” Jane said, pulling Tom in by the arm and Daria in along with him. Trent walked into the hallway, looking slightly disoriented and a little confused at the new face he didn’t recognize.

“Hey... um. Hey Daria.” Trent said, clearly having only just woken up.

“Hey Trent.” Daria replied.

“Hey, you guys were good last night.” Tom said.

“Um... thanks.” Trent said groggily.

“Trent, I came over to talk about that project.” Daria said.

“Oh. Well, um, why don’t we talk in the kitchen, Daria?” Trent suggested.

“Don’t you want Jane in on this?” Daria asked.

Jane scratched her head and yawned slightly. “You go ahead. I’m still waking up. I’ll walk Tom to his car.”

“But...”

“Yeah, c’mon Daria, it’s cool,” Trent interrupted, “She’ll walk Tom to his car.”

Daria and Trent went off to the kitchen as Jane opened the front door and walked outside towards Tom’s car.

“Wow. He’s not really much of a morning or afternoon person, is he?” Tom said.

“He’s not much of an awake person,” Jane replied, “Nuclear war could break out in Lawndale and he’d probably only stir to scratch his butt.”

“Now there’s an image I could have done without.” Tom said.

“So, you wanna do something this weekend?” Jane asked.

“Sure, I’ve got nothing planned.” Tom answered, as he opened his car door, “I’ll drop you a line tomorrow and arrange something.”

“Cool.” Jane said, “I’d better go inside and make sure Trent hasn’t fallen asleep with his head in the sink again.”

“OK, later!” Tom said, getting into his car and driving away.

 

Tom was sat in his bedroom, finishing off some homework. It had been a couple of weeks since he first met Jane and they really seemed to hit it off. As he stretched, his cell phone started ringing. He picked it up and answered it.

“Hello.”

“Evening, young Thomas,” Ashley Winters said, “What’s going down in Groove Town, then?”

“Damn you for getting me hooked on that show,” Tom replied.

Ashley chuckled. “Anyway, what are your plans for the weekend? Off to see the lovely Ms Lane?”

“Actually, no. I’m hanging out with a few of the guys from school.” Tom said. “You want to come along?”

“Ordinarily I’d love to, but it’s the weekend of my Uncle Frances’ wedding.” Ashley said.

“Ah, of course, I forgot that was this weekend. Sounds about as fun as pulling teeth.”

“It’s not so bad.” Ashley said, “I’m going to start a pool on how long it takes my cousin Graham to get drunk and punch one of the waiters.”

“Actually, that sounds like it could be entertaining.” Tom said, chuckling slightly.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a Winters wedding without a visit from a panda car.” Ashley said, laughing a little himself.

“So, you spoken to Daria much, then?” Tom asked, “You haven’t really said much about her.”

“Ah, well, you see there’s kind of an issue there.” Ashley said sheepishly.

“And that would be?”

“When the four of us went out for food that night, I kinda didn’t think to exchange contact details with her.” Ashley explained.

Tom shook his head and sighed. “Ashley, you’re hopeless.”

“I can’t say I’ve had as much experience at dating as some people.” Ashley said.

“Fair point.” Tom responded, “I was just trying to figure her out. She’s been acting kind of weird towards me for some reason.”

“Well, I can’t help you there, unfortunately.”

“Well, I need to get going. I’ll see you later, Winters.”

“Good night, Sloane!” Ashley said before Tom hung up.

 

That Saturday evening, Tom sighed and got into his car. His friends who he was supposed to be meeting that evening had cancelled on him, so he decided to head off to Pizza King to see if Jane and Daria were hanging out. A short while later he walked into the restaurant and, sure enough, there they were sat at their usual booth.

“Hey!” Tom said as he approached their booth.

“Hey!” Jane replied as she was picking up a slice of pepperoni.

“What are you doing here?” Daria asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Well, my plans for this evening got cancelled and I figured I’d see if you guys were here.” Tom answered.

“Well, pull up a bench and we’ll order another pie.” Jane said.

“That’s OK, I’ll just get a slice, I’m only going to stay a minute.”

“Want to borrow my stopwatch?” Daria said, clearly annoyed by Tom’s presence.

Wow. She really doesn’t like me being here, Tom thought to himself.

“Daria, if you want to leave, just say so.” Tom said, trying not to get frustrated by Daria’s hostile attitude.

“OK, bye now.” Daria replied.

OK, I knew she wasn’t my biggest fan, but what is her deal, Tom thought.

“Hey, come on Daria!” Jane said, trying to defuse the tension, “I thought we were going to see a movie!”

“What movie?” Tom asked curiously.

“It's called ‘The Big Chick Movie That Appeals Only to Girls and Makes Men and Boys Vomit.’” Daria answered.

Tom was having a hard time hiding his frustration with Daria now. “Hey, Daria, did I say I wanted to go to the movie with you?”

“No.” Daria said, “But you never mentioned wanting to horn in on our pizza time, either.”

Tom had had as much as he could take by this stage. “Daria, you're so darn pleasant and friendly, I don't see how anyone could resist an evening with you. But just on a crazy whim, I think I'll go home and watch TV by myself.”

With that, Tom turned and walked out of Pizza King and got into his car. I really need to sort this out when I’m in a better mood, he thought to himself as he started the drive home, not noticing that Jane had come out after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk
> 
> Contains dialogue from 'Jane's Addition' written by Glenn Eichler


	5. (It's Not Love) Just The End Of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daria is being hostile towards Tom, but he wants to try and get along with her.

The following afternoon, Tom left the house and decided to take advantage of the clear weather to go for a leisurely drive. His route passed a couple of parks, Dega Street and passed Lawndale High School. Jane’s tales of Principal Li’s use of school funds to pay for bomb-sniffing dogs and polygraph machines were equal parts amusing and scary. Driving down one particular street, Tom noticed Daria walking along. After thinking for a moment he pulled up alongside her.  
  
“Hey, Daria.” He said. Daria turned and saw him, frowning slightly.  
  
“What are you doing here?” she asked.  
  
“Just thought I’d take advantage of the weather and go for a drive.” He answered.  
  
Daria looked at the car. “I’m surprised that it hasn’t gone up in flames.” She said, “Still, I can see why Jane would want to be driven around in that thing.”  
  
“Jane’s a thrill seeker,” Tom joked, “A rusting car that could fall apart or explode at any minute. She can’t resist.”  
  
Daria just looked at him, not reacting to his comment.  
  
“Um, that was a joke?” Tom said.  
  
“Hmm. Good one.” Daria replied.  
  
“So, want me to give you a ride somewhere?” Tom offered.  
  
“What are you? Some kind of compulsive ride giver? I'm walking, thanks.” Daria said sternly as she started to walk away.

_I need to try and sort this out now_ , Tom thought.  
  
“I’ll walk with you for a bit.” he said, getting out of the car and walking alongside her.  
  
“What are you doing?” Daria asked.  
  
“Look, I’d like to talk to you, OK?” Tom said.  
  
“Fine. Talk.”  
  
“You don’t like me, and that’s OK. There’s no reason why you should.” Tom said.  
  
“I agree.” Daria replied flatly.  
  
“But it would be nice if you could try and get along with me a little. At least in front of Jane.”  
  
“Why should I do that?” Daria asked.  
  
“Because she’s your best friend, I really like her and want to get to know her.” Tom replied.  
  
“So?”  
  
“So you being all hostile and hating me puts her in a difficult position.” Tom said.  
  
“I don’t hate you,” Daria replied sincerely, “I don’t even know you. But I’m not going to sit by while you take my friend away.”  
  
 _So that’s what this is about_ , Tom thought, _she worried about losing Jane_. He realised he needed to say something to reassure her.  
  
“I’m not taking her away,” Tom explained, “All she talks about is “Daria said this,” “Daria said that,” “listen to what Daria told this moron.”  
  
Something must have worked, as Tom noticed a small smile form on Daria’s lips.  
  
“Don’t waste your time with flattery, Tom. I’m immune.” She said.  
  
“I’m not flattering you.” Tom stated, “I don’t care if you like me. But you’d have to be pretty stupid to think anything or anybody is going to shake your friendship with Jane.”  
  
Daria sighed a little. “Yeah, I guess so. Look, I may conceivably have been acting like a jerk towards you...”  
  
“It’s possible. Don’t worry about it.” Tom said, with a slight smile.  
  
“But we are not friends.” Daria stated.  
  
“No we’re not.” Tom replied.  
  
“And even if we were, I wouldn’t take a ride in that car unless there was no other way to get around.”  
  
“That’s just sensible.” Tom said. Tom decided now would be as good a time as any to change the subject. “So, how’s the multimedia project coming along?”  
  
“It would be fine if Trent ever got around to writing the music.”  
  
“Yeah, he seems like a cool guy, but I suppose he’s not the most dependable person.” Tom said, “Still, you’ve got that backup plan haven’t you?”  
  
“Yeah. It’s looking like we’ll have to use that plan too.” Daria replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.  
  
“That’s a shame.” Tom replied.  
  
“I really hope Trent makes it as a musician,” Daria said, “Because I can’t think of another job he’d be able to hold down.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Tom said, “You know those farmers that get paid not to grow anything?”  
  
Daria smirked at that comment. _That’s better_ , Tom thought to himself.  
  
“Well, look, this has been fun and all, but I’d better get going.” Tom said.  
  
“Yeah, OK.” Daria said.  
  
“See you later, Daria.” Tom said, as he went to make his way back to the car  
  
After a short pause, Daria turned around to speak. “Hey Tom, do you think...” but by that point, Tom was already out of earshot. Daria sighed and continued on her way.  


* * *

  
  
It was Friday afternoon, and Tom and Ashley were chatting as they walked down one of the corridors of Fielding to make their way out for the day.  
  
“So, you two are getting along better, then?” Ashley asked.  
  
“It seems so.” Tom replied, a slight smirk forming, “Although I doubt things would have gotten so bad if she’d had something to do to occupy her time.”  
  
Ashley raised an eyebrow. “Surely, Mr Sloane, you’re not putting the blame on me for this.”  
  
Tom laughed. “Nah, of course not. Just having some fun.”  
  
As they made their way out of the main doors and down the steps, they heard a familiar voice ring out.  
  
“Tom! Tom!”  
  
Both of them looked to the side to notice Cassidy Hemming jogging in their direction.  
  
“Oh boy.” Tom muttered under his breath.  
  
“Well, isn’t that sweet,” Ashley said teasingly, “Here comes your other girlfriend!”  
  
Tom glared at Ashley, as he just smirked in return. Cassidy had now managed to catch up with them.  
  
“Hey, Tom!” she said, cheerily.  
  
“Oh, hey Cassidy, how are things?” Tom replied.  
  
“Oh, pretty good. Hey, I was wondering, are you free tomorrow night? I thought we could hang out, see a movie perhaps.”  
  
“Sorry, but I’ve already got plans for tomorrow.” Tom replied.  
  
“Nice. Anything I can join in on?” she asked, hopefully.  
  
For some reason, Tom felt a bit uncomfortable about what he was going to say next, and he wasn’t entirely sure why.  
  
“Actually, I’m kind of going on a date.” He said.  
  
“Oh, OK.” She said, trying not to show her disappointment, although Ashley did pick up on the slight change in her demeanour.  
  
“Well, maybe some other time, then.” Cassidy said, as she walked away.  
  
 _She still has feelings for Tom. I wonder if he realises_ , Ashley wondered.  
  
“Hey.” Tom said, turning his attention back to Ashley, “Are you going to show me this new Vexxer of yours?”  
  
“Oh yeah, it’s a doozy.” Ashley replied, “Let’s go!”  


* * *

  
  
The following night, Tom and Jane were sat in the living room at Jane’s house, the TV blaring as Jane leaned against Tom’s shoulder.  
  
“Would you moan my name... if I boinked you in heaven? Ghost hookers in the sky, **tonight** on Sick, Sad World.”  
  
Jane switched off the TV and kissed Tom on the cheek.  
  
“So, you got an A on your project, then?” Tom asked.  
  
“Yeah, no thanks to Trent.” Jane replied, slightly frustrated.  
  
“Good job you had a backup plan.”  
  
“Yeah, the last thing I needed was another year of Mr O’Neill and his New Age crap.” She said. A slight rumbling in her stomach got her to change the subject.  
  
“Hey, I’m kinda hungry.” Jane said, “Why don’t we go get some pizza?”  
  
“You really know the way to a man’s heart, don’t you?” Tom said with a smirk.  
  
“Yep! Right through his arteries!” Jane said, as they both got up and went out to Tom’s car. A few minutes later, they arrived at Pizza King, where Jane was surprised to see Trent and Daria sat together, talking. She and Tom walked up just as they were finished talking.  
  
“Trent, I don’t care if she forgives you, I’m never speaking to you again.” Jane told him sternly.  
  
“You just did.” Trent replied.  
  
“Damn!” she said, turning her attention to Daria. “So, did he give you a plausible explanation for nearly screwing up our project?”  
  
“From his point of view.” Daria replied with a slight smile.  
  
“Well that’s better than nothing. I think.” Jane said, thoughtfully.  
  
Tom smiled as a thought came to his mind. “Tough day at the farm, eh Daria?”  
  
Daria smirked, which was a pleasant surprise to Jane. _Guess they’re getting along a bit better_ , she thought .  
  
Trent looked between Daria and Tom, slightly confused. “I don’t get it.” He said.  
  
Daria looked at Trent. “Private joke.” she responded.  
  
“Oh no, no private jokes.” Jane said, grabbing Tom’s hand and leading him over to the counter, “Come on, buy me a slice.”  
  
As the two of them sat down at a booth with their pizza, Jane looked across at Daria and Trent and then back at Tom.  
  
“So, you two seem to be getting along a bit better.” Jane said.  
  
“Yeah, we had a chat recently when I saw her out walking,” Tom explained, “I think she was just worried that you might start spending all my free time with me instead of her.”  
  
“Well, neither of us really had any friends until she came to Lawndale,” Jane told him, “And it wouldn’t be the first time she didn’t like someone I was dating.”  
  
“Oh?” Tom said, his interest raised.  
  
“Yeah, some guy I dated a couple of times back when I was briefly on track team,” Jane said, “Although to be fair to Daria, he was a complete jerk and I just didn’t see it at first.”  
  
“I see.”  
  
Jane noticed Trent get up and leave the restaurant, and caught Daria’s eye, waving her to come over. Daria got up and walked to their booth.  
  
“Hey.” Tom and Jane said in succession.  
  
“Hey." Daria said.  
  
“Pizza?” Jane said, offering a slice to her friend.  
  
“You’re buying.” Daria replied with a smile as she sat down. After a few minutes of chatter, a thought came to Tom’s mind.  
  
“Listen, Jane and I are heading to see a movie tomorrow. You want to join us?” Tom asked.  
  
“I don’t know,” Daria said, “I’m not really one for tagging along on dates.”  
  
“It’ll be fine.” Tom replied, “Hey, I’ll ask my friend Ashley to go. You know, the one I was at the Zon with that time?”  
  
“Ashley?” Daria said, her face going slightly pink. Jane noticed and started laughing.  
  
“What’s so funny, Lane?” Daria asked, trying to seem annoyed but not quite managing it.  
  
“Why Daria, how quickly we move on.” Jane said, ducking to avoid a napkin Daria threw at her.  
  
Tom looked between the two, smirked and shook his head. “You two are really strange.”  
  
Jane smiled and looked at Daria. “More than you know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk.
> 
> Contains dialogue from 'Jane's Addition' written by Glenn Eichler
> 
> The title of this chapter is a twist on the song '(It's Not War) Just The End Of Love' by Manic Street Preachers


	6. Riding Shotgun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daria, Jane, Tom and Ashley go the movies, giving Jane and Tom the opportunity to play yenta.

Tom and Ashley were walking to the lockers after their History class. Tom had been telling Ashley about the plans for the cinema.  
  
“So, you interesting in going?” Tom asked.  
  
“Sure,” Ashley answered, “But what are we going to see, exactly?”  
  
“Well, we haven’t decided on that yet,” Tom said, “There’s some art films at Play House 99, or there’s ‘The Splatter of Tiny Feet’ at the multiplex down town.”  
  
“Hmm,” Ashley thought, “I’ve never really seen an art film. But Splatter sounds a bit too squelchy for my tastes.”  
  
“Well, we can always see what else is on and decide then.” Tom said, as he approached his locker and started to unlock it.  
  
“Sounds like a good plan.” Ashley replied.  
  
As Tom opened his locker, an envelope fell out on to the floor. Ashley picked it up and looked at it before handing it to Tom.  
  
“I wonder if you’ve finally been selected to join the Secret Service.” Ashley said with a wry smile.  
  
“I doubt it,” Tom replied, examining the envelope carefully, “I’d expect them to be more discreet than sneaking envelopes into school lockers.”  
  
Tom opened the envelope to find a card inside. It had a pair of bears hugging with the words “To A Great Friend” written around them.  
  
“Don’t need to be a forensic scientist to guess who that’s from.” Ashley said, chuckling lightly.  
  
Tom opened the card to find a gift card for ‘Books by the Ton' inside. Written in the card was a message.  
  
 _Dear Tom,_  
  
 _I thought you’d like some new reading material. You’re a special friend and you mean a lot to me. See you soon._  
  
 _Love,_  
 _Cassidy xxx_  
  
“Awww. Isn’t that cute?” Ashley said, grinning widely.  
  
“Erm, yeah. Cute.” Tom responded, somewhat nervously as he checked his locker, “How did she even get in here?”

 

* * *

  
  
That Saturday, Tom and Ashley were driving to Casa Lane in Ashley’s Vexxer to pick up Jane and Daria for their trip to the movies. Ashley pulled up outside and he and Tom got out of the car.  
  
“So, you’re sure she’s coming?” Ashley asked, slightly nervously.  
  
“Of course,” Tom replied as they walked up the path, “Don’t be so worried.”  
  
Ashley steadied himself as they approached the door. Tom knocked on the door and Jane answered a few seconds later.  
  
“Well well. Daria, our chariot has arrived.” Jane shouted back into the house, as she made her way out. Daria followed a moment later, closing the door behind them. Jane noticed the car waiting outside.  
  
“So, upgraded the rust bucket, eh?” Jane said to Tom as the four of them walked towards it.  
  
“Actually, that’s Ashley’s car.” Tom replied.  
  
“Looks like you’re riding shotgun then, amiga!” Jane whispered to Daria, nudging her shoulder as Daria just grumbled under her breath.

 

* * *

  
  
  
Getting their tickets and making their way inside the cinema to get to their seats, Tom and Jane, at Jane’s suggestion, made sure to get to the seats first to make sure Daria and Ashley had to sit next to each other. Daria shook her head at them.  
  
“They’re in an awful hurry to sit down.” Ashley said as he and Daria made their way to their seats.  
  
“Kids.” Daria replied with a tut and a slight smile.  
  
As they sat down, Jane pulled a leaflet out of her pocket and read from it.  
  
“Let’s see here. ‘The Ghosts Within’”, she read, “’A successful businessman has to come to terms with the demons of his past that he thought he’d slain.’ Who writes this stuff?”  
  
“This has the potential to be awful.” Ashley said, gleefully rubbing his hands.  
  
“Nothing gets me in the mood quite like a horrible B-movie thriller.” Daria said.  


* * *

  
  
Coming out of the theatre and into the foyer, the four teens were discussing the movie they’d just watched, and the experience around it.  
  
“I can’t believe you managed to get that guy to move by buying him popcorn.” Jane said.  
  
“Who comes to a movie theatre and talks loudly to their girlfriend while it’s on?” Tom replied.  
  
“Well, there’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back.” Ashley mock complained, smiling slightly.  
  
“I didn’t hear you complain about the explosions.” Daria said, a similar smile on her face.  
  
Jane watched Daria and Ashley then had an idea. “Hey, I just need to go the bathroom.” She said, looking at Tom.  
  
“Yeah, me too.” Tom said, “We’ll be right back.”  
  
Ashley looked at them both as they headed off, then back to Daria, who was looking away slightly.  
  
“Shall we head outside for a bit?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Sure, I was getting tired of being in a crowd anyway.” Daria replied, as they headed out, Ashley opening the door for her.  
  
They stood around outside for a moment, silent and hands in pockets. Ashley decided to break the silence.  
  
“Having a good time?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Well, the movie was terrible.” Daria replied.  
  
“But at least we could poke fun at it.” Ashley said, smiling.  
  
Daria half smiled herself. “That's true. It wasn't boring, I'll give it that.”  
  
There was a little more silence. Ashley nervously shuffled his feet and looked inside, but there was no sign of Jane and Tom yet. He decided to try and find out more about the pretty, auburn haired girl next to him.  
  
“So, what’s home life like?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Well, let’s see. Between a workaholic mother, a clueless father and a fashion obsessed sister who denies I’m even her sister, it’s a wonder I haven’t gone insane already.” Daria explained.  
  
“I have an uncle who works in an asylum. I’m sure I can get him to put you away if you ever do.”  
  
Daria smirked. “I’ve always wanted to be dragged away in a straight jacket, kicking and screaming.”  
  
Ashley smiled back. Some thoughts then started to run through his mind. _Take a chance. Just ask her. What’s the worst that could happen?_ Daria noticed the slightly faraway look in his eyes.  
  
“Earth to Ashley. Anybody home?”  
  
“Oh sorry,” Ashley replied, shaking himself out of his slight daydream, “Was just thinking.”  
  
“Too much thinking can be hazardous to your health, you know.”  
  
Ashley chuckled. “Smart ass. Um, I was wondering...”  
  
He paused slightly.  
  
“And?” Daria said, trying to get him to continue.  
  
 _Just say it._  
  
“I’d like to get to know you better,” Ashley almost blurted out, “I was wondering if you wanted to do something sometime, just the two of us.”  
  
Daria was slightly taken aback by that and started to blush slightly. “You mean, like a date?”  
  
“Y... yeah. A date.”  
  
Daria was about to say no on reflex, but a thought stopped her. _He seems like a nice guy. Just give him a chance. What’s the worst that could happen?_  
  
“Sure. I think I can fit you into my busy social calendar.” She said with one of her understated smiles.  
  
“Cool!” Ashley replied, smiling, getting a pen out of his pocket before realising he forgot something. “Oh, you got some paper?”  
  
“Oh sure.” Daria said, rummaging in her pockets before pulling a small scrap out and a pen. She ripped it in half and gave him one piece. They wrote their phone numbers down and exchanged them, just as Tom and Jane finally came out of the building.  
  
“Passing notes around?” Jane asked, teasingly, “You’re not in class now, you know.”  
  
“I hate you.” Daria replied, smirking.  
  
“We good to go, then?” Ashley asked.  
  
“Lead the way!” Tom said, as they all got in to Ashley’s car and drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk.


	7. He's The Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daria and Ashley begin dating, and Ashley manages to confuse a certain QB. Meanwhile, Cassidy bumps in to Tom and Jane in the park and immediately causes issues for Jane.

Daria parked outside Ashley’s house. It was a modestly sized house in the more wealthy area of Lawndale. Walking up the pathway, she noticed the front yard was pretty simple, just a few round flower beds in it. As she got to the door, she was about to ring the bell before she noticed a note stuck onto the door.  
  
 _Daria,_  
  
 _I’m in the back yard. The door at the side of the house is open._  
  
 _Ashley_  
  
Daria took the note and walked through the side door to notice Ashley pegging bread to a washing line. She leaned against the wall and watched curiously before walking up to him. On the way, she noticed a gas bottle on the ground next to what looked like a bazooka.  
  
“You know, hanging bread on a washing line is considered the second sign of madness,” she said with a smile.  
  
“Well, I already talk to myself, so it only makes sense that I’m up to the second sign,” Ashley replied as he turned to face her, returning the smile.  
  
“Dare I even ask what you’re up to?” she asked.  
  
“Well, you can ask. But if I told you, I’d have to kill you.”  
  
Satisfied with the bread, Ashley grabbed a couple of pairs of goggles from the ground and handed one to Daria before putting the other one on himself.  
  
“You might need this. It’s going to get a bit... hot,” Ashley explained, suddenly realising what he just said, “Um, that’s a flamethrower. My dad bought it a few weeks ago.”  
  
“What is it with guys and fire?” Daria asked.  
  
“Prehistoric urge to see the world burn, I guess,” Ashley replied as he hooked the flamethrower up to the gas, “But this is part of an art project I’m working on.”  
  
“I didn’t know you were an artist.”  
  
“Well, I’m not a full on artist like Jane. I’m mostly into sculptures, really. But I saw this on a British science show and wanted to try it out.”  
  
“So, what does it involve?”  
  
“Well, it’s something called ‘Hell on Toast’. I blacken the bread with the flamethrower, and then tonight I’ll paint scenes of Hell on it.”  
  
Daria rubbed her nose and had a slightly confused expression on her face.  
  
“Couldn’t you just use a toaster?” she asked.  
  
“Oh, I could,” he replied with a grin, “But this is much quicker and much more fun. Stand back!”  
  
With that, Ashley took aim and fired the flamethrower at the bread. Within a few seconds, the bread started going brown and eventually black. He stopped, but not quite in time to stop one of the pieces of bread actually catching fire.  
  
“Darn. Daria, throw that water bucket on that could you, please?”  
  
Daria did so and extinguished the bread. She looked sideways at him. He chuckled.  
  
“Good job I put more than I needed on the line,” he said, “Well, I think we’re done with this. What do you say I clean up and then we go for something to eat?”  
  
“That’s the best idea you’ve had today,” Daria replied with a small smile.

* * *

  
  
Tom drove his Pinto up to Jane’s house. Walking up to the front door, he knocked and Trent answered.  
  
“Yo!” Tom said.  
  
“Hey Tom,” Trent replied, looking slightly concerned, “Um... don’t abandon her now, man. She needs you.”  
  
Tom looked confused. “Why would I abandon...” He stopped mid sentence as he noticed Jane coming down the stairs. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she was wearing a red sleeveless top, a light blue mini skirt and sandals. A teddy bear back pack was slung over her shoulder.  
  
“She needs you,” Trent said as he stepped away and Jane walked up to Tom.  
  
“Hey fly boy!” she said.  
  
“Is that a teddy bear back pack?” he asked, still confused by what he was seeing.  
  
“Uh-huh. Do you wanna test my new lip gloss? It’s kiwi flavoured!” she said, puckering her lips for a kiss.  
  
“Well, I guess if I kiss you, at least my eyes would be closed,” he replied before quickly kissing her.  
  
“Let’s go!” she said as they went out to his car and left.

* * *

  
  
Daria and Ashley were sat in a booth at Pizza King, sharing a medium pepperoni. Daria was explaining the strange assignment her English teacher, Mr O’Neill, had given to the class.  
  
“So we’re expected to do something we know we’ll fail it. To build character, or something,” Daria explained.  
  
“And I thought some of the teachers I’d had were weird,” Ashley replied, lifting up a slice from the plate.  
  
“This is a man who once had us guessing each other’s identities by feeling each other’s hands.”  
  
Ashley shuddered at that thought. “Please don’t tell me any more of his ideas.”  
  
At that moment, Lawndale High Quarterback Kevin Thompson walked up to the table in his usual football gear. Ashley looked at him with curiousity.  
  
“Hey Daria, hey Ja... whoa!” he suddenly exclaimed, noticing the long haired guy with Daria. “What happened to you? You look kinda... different.”  
  
Ashley raised an eyebrow. _He can’t really think I’m Jane_ , he thought. Then a more evil thought crossed his mind.  
  
“Kevin, this is...”  
  
“Yeah, Kevin, I do look a bit different today,” Ashley interrupted, giving Daria a ‘Go with me on this’ look.  
  
“You even, like, sound different and stuff.” Kevin replied.  
  
“Yeah well, I decided to try something new. So I decided to try out being a guy for a few days, see what it’s like,” Ashley said with a smile.  
  
“How did you do that? Does it, like, hurt and stuff?” Kevin asked.  
  
“Not if you know a brain,” Daria said with a small smile.  
  
“Yeah!” Ashley continued, “They recently discovered that brains have new powers.”  
  
“Cool!” Kevin replied, clearly believing the whole thing.  
  
“I have the ability to turn girls into guys if I concentrate hard enough,” Daria said, “I can even turn guys into girls.”  
  
“That’s really freaky, man,” Kevin said, then he noticed Daria seemed to be concentrating hard on him and something actually clicked in his brain, “Whoa, not cool, not cool!”  
  
Kevin suddenly sprinted out of the restaurant and Ashley buried his head in his hands and started laughing as Daria just chuckled and took a bit of pizza.  
  
Getting his composure together, Ashley asked “He didn’t really buy all that crap, did he?”  
  
“I’m afraid so,” Daria replied, “Never underestimate the stupidity of a footballer.”  
  
“You and Jane could have so much fun at school with that,” Ashley suggested, a grin forming on his face.  
  
“That’s evil. I like the way you think,” Daria said. Then she surprised herself and Ashley when she leaned over the table and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
“Wow!” Ashley exclaimed, “I should do things like that more often.”

* * *

  
  
Tom and Jane were walking through the park, finishing off their ice cream.  
  
“So, when do the aliens finish their experiment?” Tom asked.  
  
“I’m expecting them to return me to my normal body any day now,” Jane responded.  
  
As they continued walking, Tom looked ahead and noticed Cassidy Hemming sat on a bench. _Oh boy, this could get ugly_ , he thought, _hopefully she won’t notice me_.  
  
Cassidy turned her head and saw Tom and Jane coming. “Hey Tom!”  
  
“Oh hi, Cassidy,” he said as they arrived at the bench, “How are you doing?”  
  
“Well, I haven’t seen much of you lately,” she replied, “Have a seat.”  
  
Jane eyed Cassidy slightly suspiciously as she was sat right in the middle of the bench.  
  
“Sure, I guess,” Tom said. Cassidy deliberately didn’t move, so Tom and Jane sat on either side of her.  
  
Cassidy turned to Tom. “You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”  
  
“Well yeah, I’ve been on dates, hanging out with friends, the usual.”  
  
“ _I’m_ your friend.”  
  
“Yeah, but I figured you wouldn’t want to be hanging around a group of guys.”  
  
“I think...” Jane tried to speak, but Cassidy just talked over her, causing her to frown.  
  
“It would have been nice to be asked,” Cassidy said.  
  
“I’ll remember that next time,” Tom replied.  
  
 _What is this girl’s deal_ , Jane thought to herself, eyeing Cassidy very suspiciously.  
  
“Well, if you’re not doing anything next week, maybe we can do something then,” Cassidy said, “We could go book shopping if you’ve still got that gift card.”  
  
“Yeah, I have it. You know, you didn’t have to put it in my locker. You could’ve just given it to me,” Tom said.  
  
“I wanted to surprise you,” Cassidy replied with a big smile.  
  
“Well, you certainly did that,” Tom said uneasily.  
  
“I’d better be going, anyway,” Cassidy said, reaching over to hug Tom, “See you later.”  
  
She hopped off the bench and walked away, Tom watching and Jane glaring at her as she left.  
  
“So, mind explaining that to me?” Jane said, eyebrow raised.  
  
“She’s a girl I dated a couple of times before I met you,” Tom answered, “I said I wanted to be her friend.”  
  
 _I think she want to be more than friends_ , Jane thought.  
  
“She somehow got into my locker and left a gift card for ‘Books by the Ton’ in there.”  
  
“That doesn’t sound healthy,” Jane said, getting to her feet as Tom did.  
  
“No,” Tom replied, “No it doesn’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Daria and all associated characters owned by MTV. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money or any other goods have been exchanged.
> 
> All original characters were created by Ognawk.
> 
> This chapter contained dialogue from 'The F Word' by Rachelle Romberg.


	8. Burning Ambition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashley brings Daria home from a night at The Zon to discover that her house is on fire. Daria, not wanting to share a hotel room with Quinn, stays with Jane. However, Tom and Daria's increasing closeness makes Jane suspicious. Ashley visits and informs Daria about his acceptance to an art colony.

Tom, Ashley, Daria and Jane were at The Zon, waiting for Mystik Spiral to come onto the stage. Ashley chuckled slightly as a thought came to his head.  
  
"Somebody looks amused," Daria said.  
  
"Yeah," Jane replied, "What's so funny? Out with it Winters!"  
  
"Isn't it romantic to return to the place where we first met each other?" he said.  
  
"Sure, if you consider meeting somewhere with a different potential disease on every surface 'romantic'," Daria said with a small smile.  
  
The band walked onto the stage, checking their instruments as Trent walked up to the microphone."  
  
"Hey, we're Mystik Spiral, though we might change our name," Trent said, "Remember, every dog has his day."  
  
You put me on a short leash and threw away my hydrant...  
  
"Ah, a Spiral classic!" Jane said, wincing slightly.  
  
"I'd use many words to describe it," Ashley said, "Classic is not one of them."  
  
"It's classic in the same way that my car is 'slightly worn'," Tom explained with a smile.  
  
"Well, you said it," Jane responded with a chuckle.  
  
"Somebody had to or our heads would explode," Ashley said.

 

* * *

  
  
After the gig and a trip to Cluster Burger, the four teens headed home. Ashley dropped Tom and Jane off at Casa Lane. He waited outside as he and Daria talked for a while.  
  
"Well, we've survived another Spiral set without severe brain damage," Daria said.  
  
"Not that we know of anyway," Ashley replied, "Still, risking our mental health is kind of an interesting way to celebrate a half anniversary."  
  
"That which does not kill us," Daria said with a smile.  
  
"Um, I'm really glad I asked you out," Ashley said, slightly nervously, "I really like you."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I like you too," Daria said, smiling before leaning over and kissing him.  
  
They sat there smiling for a moment before Ashley noticed his watch.  
  
"Damn, it's nearly 1am. We'd better get you home."  
  
"Yeah, I don't think my parents will be to happy with me getting in this late," Daria said.  
  
They set off towards Daria's house, but noticed something wrong as they approached.  
  
"Hey, isn't that fire truck outside your house?" Ashley asked.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Daria said as they pulled up. Her parents Jake and Helen and sister Quinn were stood out on the lawn in their bed clothes as smoke came out of the front door. Daria and Ashley got out of the car to hear Jake speaking.  
  
"Well, I remember thinking, "Damn it, damn waiter with his damn phony decaf." Then I was thinking, "I need some damn milk..."  
  
"Oh, never mind," Helen replied tiredly.  
  
"Mom, Dad, what happened?" Daria asked, as she and Ashley approached.  
  
"Your father set fire to the kitchen," Helen replied.  
  
"Dammit Helen, it was an accident!" Jake yelled.  
  
"I'd better be going," Ashley whispered to Daria.  
  
"Sure, see you," Daria said.  
  
"Bye Mr and Mrs Morgendorffer!" Ashley said to Helen and Jake, but they didn't notice him over their arguing, so he got in his car and left as Daria watched him go.

 

* * *

  
The following day at school, Ashley and Tom were sat in the lunch room, Ashley yawning from having not been able to get much sleep. They were discussing the night before.  
  
"So, they're going to be staying at Le Grand Hotel for a couple of weeks," Ashley said.  
  
"Could be worse," Tom replied, "Could be the Dutchman Inn."  
  
"I don't know," Ashley said with a slight grin, "I kinda like the idea of a giant clog in front of the hotel."  
  
"I thought you might," Tom smirked.  
  
Just then, Ashley looked to the side as he noticed Cassidy coming up and sitting at the table next to Tom.  
  
"Hey, Tom, Ashley," she said, holding a small bag with a smile.  
  
"So I do exist to you after all," Ashley replied sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."  
  
"Eh, that's OK."  
  
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Tom asked, slightly concerned.  
  
"Oh, I just thought I'd come sit with you," Cassidy answered, handing the bag to him, "Oh, and I thought you might like this."  
  
Tom looked in the bag and found a stylish fountain pen set inside. He looked at it for a moment before handing the bag back to her.  
  
"Sorry, Cassidy, they're very nice but I can't take them," Tom said.  
  
"Huh? I don't understand?"  
  
"You really don't need to keep buying me things, it's not that kind of friendship," Tom explained.  
  
"I... I'm sorry... I..." Cassidy got up from the table and quickly walked away. Just as she did so, Elsie walked over and sat down by Ashley.  
  
"What did you say to her, Tom?" Elsie asked.  
  
"She's been getting gifts for me again," Tom replied, "I had to turn it down."  
  
"Just be careful around her," Else replied, leaning over the table so others didn't hear, "If she wants something, she'll stop at nothing to get it."  
  
"Maybe it's time to just be straight with her and tell her she's creeping you out," Ashley suggested.  
  
"I might have to," Tom said with a frown.

 

* * *

  
  
Later that day, Ashley pulled his car up outside Jane's house. Daria had called to let him know that he was staying with Jane for a couple of days, rather than at the hotel after being forced to share a hotel room with Quinn. Ashley noticed Tom's car parked outside before walking up to the door and knocking. After a couple of minutes, Trent opened the door.  
  
"Hey Ashley."  
  
"Hey Trent. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much," Trent replied, "Daria's upstairs, last room on the right."  
  
"Thanks Trent," Ashley said, walking into the house and walking upstairs. As he got near the room Trent indictated, he heard a chuckle then some silence before Jane spoke.  
  
"Anyway, Tom, I'll be down the hall whenever you guys are finished with morgue chat," he heard her say as she exited the room.  
  
"Hey Jane!" Ashley said as he saw her.  
  
"Oh, hey," Jane said as she walked past.  
  
"I'd better go," Tom said as he exited the room, "Oh, hi Ashley. We're just heading out."  
  
"Sure, Tom. Later." Ashley said as he headed to Daria's room, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the tension he sensed between Jane and Tom.  
  
"Hello?" Ashley said as he knocked on the open door.  
  
"Hey you," Daria said as she turned around in her chair while sat at the desk.  
  
"Interesting conversation with Tom?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, we were just talking about The Prince," Daria replied, "We, er, kind of lost track of time."  
  
Ashley chuckled as he walked over and sat on the bed near her. "Well, at least you two seem to be getting on well."  
  
"Yeah," Daria replied, "But I don't think Jane seems too happy about it."  
  
"Well, I guess not everyone appreciates a good glass coffin story."  
  
Daria smiled slightly at that as she got up and sat on the bed next to Ashley, leaning on him as he put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I applied to spend the summer at the Ashfield Artist Colony," Ashley told her.  
  
Daria looked at him with a slight frown. "You only thought to mention it now?"  
  
"Sorry, I completely forgot," he replied, "I'll be painting and sculpting away for two whole months. If I get in, of course."  
  
"Will I be able to come visit at least?" she asked.  
  
"Oh sure, there's a few restaurants and clubs in the area we could hang out at."  
  
"Well, that's something, I guess," Daria said, leaning against him once again, "I guess you know about Tom and Jane having problems."  
  
"Actually, no, Tom hasn't mentioned any problems with Jane before. He doesn't really talk about his relationship issues to me," he replied, "But there was some definite tension between them when I came up here."  
  
"I just hope I don't get caught in the crossfire if things do go wrong," Daria said, a hint of worry in her voice.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Ashley said, trying to reassure her,"Every couple goes through problems sometimes."  
  
"I guess. Maybe it will make things easier if I went back to the hotel."  
  
"Maybe, but maybe not," Ashley replied, "Would it drive you crazier to hang around Quinn for a couple more weeks?"  
  
"I'd have to register my hairbrush as a lethal weapon," she replied.  
  
"Death by hairbrush. Guess I'd have to come visit you at the big house," he said with a chuckle, "I'd offer to let you stay at my house, but I don't think our folks would go for it."  
  
"My parents haven't even noticed I'm gone. They've been too busy relaxing." she said, slightly sadly.  
  
Ashley looked at his watch. "Speaking of gone, I'd better be going. I've got homework to do."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Daria said with a sigh. Ashley lifted up her face and kissed her.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it too much. These things have a way of working out, you know?" he said.  
"Yeah. Thanks Ashley."  
  
"No problem. Good night, Daria." he said with a smile, as he got up to walk out the room.  
  
"Good night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have changed hands.
> 
> Cassidy Hemming, Ashley Winters and all other original characters were created by Ognawk. Please check before using the characters in your own work.
> 
> Contains dialogue from "Fire!" by Peggy Nicholl.


	9. The Tiger's Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane persuades Daria to dye her hair, but it goes disasterously wrong, causing Jane to accuse both Daria and Tom of being up to something behind her back. Ashley learns he's been accepted to the Ashfield Artist Colony's summer programme, as has Jane. Then, Daria and Tom talk to each other about their problems with Jane.

It was a Saturday morning, and Tom parked his car in front of Jane's house. She'd been working on a painting for the last few days and she wanted to show it to him today. He walked up to the front door and knocked and Jane almost immediately answered.  
  
"Hey there!" she said as she pulled him inside and quickly up the stairs.  
  
"Let me guess," Tom responded, "There's a fire in your room and you want me to see your painting before it gets turned into ashes."  
  
"Can't a girl be a little enthusiastic about showing off her latest masterpiece?"  
  
"As long as you're keeping your ego in check."  
  
As they got into Jane's room, she pulled the sheet that was covering her easel. The image was a self portrait of Jane in a leafy jungle, but her hair was striped black and blonde.  
  
Tom whistled when he saw it. "Wow, that's impressive. Got plans on becoming Queen of the jungle?"  
"I was thinking of changing my look," Jane said, "I've always wondered if I was a tiger in a previous life."  
  
"I love it, and I love you," Tom said, smiling.  
  
Jane reached over to the stereo above her bed to turn some music on.  
  
"You're not so bad yourself," Jane replied, wrapping her arms around him as he did the same to her.  
  
"Now, don't be getting all mushy on me," Tom said with a smirk, "I hate it when you do that."  
"Would I do that?" she said, as she pulled him in for a deep kiss.  
  
They stayed like that for a few minutes, completely oblivious to anything going around them. They hadn't noticed that Daria had been let into the house and was knocking on Jane's door.  
  
"Hello?" she said, before carefully opening the door and seeing Tom and Jane in their embrace.  
  
"Oh!" she said, slightly startled by what was going on. Jane noticed and separated from Tom, turning the music off.  
  
"Sorry about that," Daria said, slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Hey, it's no biggie. You had to learn about necking some day," Jane replied with a smile.  
  
"I saw Jane's latest work and I just got carried away by the talent," Tom said.  
  
"Ta-da!" Jane said as she turned the easel around to show Daria the painting. She took a long, careful look at it.  
  
"Very good," she commented, "Or is it a cry for help?"  
  
"I'd have to go with... both," Tom replied.  
  
"Don't you get it?" Jane explained,"The lady, or the tiger. Now you don't have to choose."  
  
"Does this mean you'll be getting wild boar as a pizza topping from now on?" Daria asked.  
  
"This is going to be my new look, and you're helping in the procedure."  
  
Daria looked very worried by this, and Tom picked up on it.  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Tom asked.  
  
"It'll be fine," Jane replied, "Come on, you can give us a ride to the store to pick up the dye."

 

* * *

 

  
Later that day, Daria was sat in a booth in Pizza King as Ashley brought a couple of slices over. Noting the unhappy look on his girlfriend's face, Ashley spoke up.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked with a small smile.  
  
"Jane's been trying out a new look, and she asked me to dye tiger stripes into her hair for her."  
  
"I'm guessing it didn't go well."  
  
"That's an understatement," Daria said, "I made a complete mess of it. It's a blotchy orange mess now."  
  
"Maybe she could try being a leopard instead," Ashley said, hoping to cheer her up a little. It didn't seem to work.  
  
"It got worse," Daria continued, "She got really angry and accused me of deliberately messing it up."  
  
"I never had you down as the hair styling type," Ashley said.  
  
"Evidently I'm not," she replied, "But then it got weird. She accused me of trying to take Tom away from her."  
  
Ashley was picking up his slice when she started, but was stopped in his tracks by this revelation, and was entirely confused.  
  
"She thought you wanted Tom? Why would she think that?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know," Daria replied, "I thought she was unhappy about me and Tom getting along better, but I didn't think it was this bad."  
  
Ashley paused, trying to take this all in, suddenly feeling slightly insecure. Daria noticed the change in his demeanour and grabbed his hand.  
  
"Listen, I'm not interested in Tom," she said, trying to reassure him, "You're the only guy I'm interested in."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, I know," Ashley said, leaning over to kiss her.

 

* * *

  
  
  
Tom was sat in his bedroom when his phone rang. He picked it up and answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Oh hi, Tom," Jane said.  
  
"Hi, Jane. You don't usually call this late. Is everything OK?"  
  
"Well, things would be a lot better if you spent time talking to me instead of going behind my back with my best friend."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Tom said, stunned by this accusation.  
  
"Oh come on," Jane replied, clearly enraged, "You come down to see me and you spend half the night talking to Daria."  
  
"Look, I already told you, you were busy drilling and I didn't want to disturb you. I lost track of the time."  
  
"Oh come on, I've seen the way you look at her. Don't act like you're not interested in her."  
  
"That's your best friend, and my best friend's girlfriend you're talking about. I'm not interested in Daria," Tom said defensively.  
  
"Well now my hair's a mess as well, since she deliberately decided she was going to dye it badly," Jane responded, "So clearly she's making me look bad to take you away from me."  
  
"How can you be sure she did it deliberately?"  
  
"All she had to do was paint some damn stripes, how hard could that be?"  
  
Tom was rubbing his head at this point, totally confused. "Jane, you're not making any sense. Why would I ditch you because Daria did a bad job of striping your hair?"  
  
"You're more interested in her and that Cassidy girl than you are in me. Just admit it."  
  
OK, I knew she was worried about being abandoned, but this is crazy, Tom thought to himself before speaking to Jane again.  
  
"I don't get it, Jane. You wanted me and Daria to get along. Now we are and you're accusing us of doing something behind your back. I'd never do that to you or Ashley."  
  
"What about Cassidy? Why haven't you shaken her off?"  
  
Tom sighed. "I need to be careful about her. She's a little... damaged."  
  
"Oh that old excuse. You'd better do something, because I'm sick of all this."  
  
Jane hung up the phone before Tom could even respond. OK, that was freaky, he thought as he put the phone down.

 

* * *

 

  
  
The following day, Tom was retrieving some things from his locker as Ashley stood nearby.  
  
"So, I got a call saying I've been accepted to Ashfield," Ashley said, "I'm really looking forward to this."  
  
"Oh yeah, Jane applied to there," Tom replied, taking a book out of his locker and closing it. "She got accepted too."  
  
"Oh, that's good. At least if the place turns out to be full of poseurs, I'll be able to talk to somebody," Ashley said happily, "Maybe I should give her a lift in the car."  
  
"You've got her number, just ask her."  
  
"I'll do that," Ashley replied, "Speaking of Jane, how's she coping after the hair thing?"  
  
"Well, she rang me last night in a rage making weird accusations about me and Daria and Cassidy."  
  
"Wow. She took that hair dying thing hard. She already raged at Daria over it."  
  
"Maybe I should talk to Daria, get this whole thing straightened out with her."  
  
"If you think that's wise," Ashley said, slightly concerned.  
  
As they walked to class, Cassidy, who'd been hiding around the corner listening to them, pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialled a number.  
  
"Hello? Hi, it's me, Cassidy. I need you to do a favour for me."

 

* * *

  
  
  
Later that day, Tom was sat in his car outside Daria's, waiting for her to come back from Jane's house. He opened the window in the passenger seat as he saw Daria approaching.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Daria asked as she noticed him.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you," Tom answered, "You're sister said you were out so I decided to wait in the car."  
  
"Do you want to come inside?"  
  
"No thanks. There's this group of girls in there rubbing stuff on each other's cheeks and making weird noises. It kind of freaked me out."  
  
"Don't worry," Daria said, smiling, "That's just the opening rights of the Blush-a-thon."  
  
"Next they'll be doing rhythmic chanting."  
  
"You saw that Discovery special too, huh?"  
  
Tom chuckled. "Hey, why don't you get in the car?"  
  
Daria stood for a second before getting in.  
  
"So, did you want to talk about Jane?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, kind of," Tom replied, "She's given it to us with both barrels, it seems."  
  
"Yeah, she wants us to get along, and when we do, she gets paranoid and jealous. I don't get it."  
  
"I think she's worried about being abandoned."  
  
"Well with her family never being home, I could see that," Daria said, "But she outright accused me of trying to take you away from her."  
  
There was a short silence before Daria sighed.  
  
"Things were so much easier before that night at The Zon," she said, "I almost wish that night never happened sometimes."  
  
Tom was a little riled by that comment. "You wish it had never happened?"  
  
"Almost wish it had never happened," Daria corrected, "If it wasn't for Ashley..."  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap," Tom said, apologetically.  
  
"Don't worry about it. But Jane seems to forget I have him. No offence, Tom, but I'm not interested in you, and I'd be stabbing Jane and Ashley in the back if I ever considered it."  
  
"No offence taken," Tom replied, "I care about Jane and Ashley's my best friend. I could never hurt them like that."  
  
"Good to know we're on the same wavelength," Daria said with a small smile.  
  
There was another short silence, then Tom spoke up.  
  
"Jane and Ashley are off to the art colony for a couple of months. Maybe it will do some good for Jane, let her cool off and concentrate on her art."  
  
"I hope so. I'll miss Ashley, though," Daria said, a hint of sadness in her voice.  
  
"They'll be back before you know and hopefully we can put this sorry mess behind us."  
  
"Yeah. Listen, I'd better go," Daria said, looking at her watch.  
  
"OK, see you Daria."  
  
"Yeah, later," Daria said as she got out of the car and went to the house.  
  
I really hope this colony does Jane some good, Tom thought as he drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daria and all associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have changed hands.
> 
> Cassidy Hemming, Ashley Winters and all other original characters were created by Ognawk. Please check before using the characters in your own work.
> 
> Contains dialogue from "Dye! Dye! My Darling!" by Glenn Eichler.


End file.
